


The Pool Episode

by parasolghost



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lifeguards, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 10:45:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1547831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parasolghost/pseuds/parasolghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a summer babysitting job to the waterpark, Jack meets the most impossibly beautiful lifeguard to ever exist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Pool Episode

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lonewolfsong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonewolfsong/gifts).



“Alright, troops,” Jack puffed up his chest, putting his hands on his hips as he faced the group of excited ten-year-olds, “line up!”

The children giggled, getting into an orderly line in front of their white-haired babysitter. Jack looked proudly at his army of tiny people, thankful for the fact that he had finally been able to get them to listen to him if he spoke like a commander. He counted seven heads bobbing excitedly in a line, ready to run from the shade of the umbrellas and into the wave pool just in front of them, and another head, smaller than the others, clinging to his leg—that made everyone accounted for.

Jack sighed in relief, taking a moment from the hectic trip from the car to the water park and making sure everyone got dressed properly after searching the park for almost half an hour for a few empty lounge chairs. The heavy scent of sun block and chlorine filled his nostrils and, even under the beach umbrellas, Jack could feel the heat bearing down on them. On this particular day, the water park was filled with people, young and old, clothed in bikinis and bathing suits, chattering loudly amongst themselves and splashing in the water. Although Jack was more of a winter enthusiast himself, he couldn’t help but feel childishly excited in the park’s summer-fun atmosphere.

“Okay, gang,” Jack began, “I know you guys are all ready to run into the pool and everything, but we have to lay down some ground rules first.” The kids groaned in exasperation and Jack chuckled. “Hey, I know you guys don’t like them—I don’t like them either, but I know you guys also don’t like going home completely sun burnt, am I right?” The children fell silent, each of them remembering their horrible excursion to the beach two weeks ago. “I thought so. Okay—so did you guys put on your sun block?” The row of heads nodded and some of the kids began bouncing on their feet, ready to take off. “Alright, good. Just remember to keep in my line of sight at all times and if you want to go somewhere else, then we all go, got it?”

Murmurs of consent rang through the group. “And no peeing in the pool this time, if you have to go, then tell me.”

The children snickered and Monty blushed a bright red that would have put sunburns to shame. “It was one time,” he muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his swim trunks.

“Okay, so we’re good then?” Jack asked. “Any questions?”

Jamie’s hand flew up from the middle of the line and everyone turned to look at him. “Question!” he said, an eyebrow raised as he pointed at Jack. “Why are you carrying a pink floatie?”

Jack looked down at the pink, flowery, plastic inner tube under his arm that he had gotten from the dollar store just this morning and shrugged. “Sophie needs it,” he lied.

“But Sophie has arm floaties!” Pippa objected. Sophie, who had been clinging to Jack’s legs this entire time responded by excitedly waving her arms which, indeed, wore neon-colored arm floats that squeaked when she pressed her arms back against her side..

A hand at the end of the line flew up and Jack felt himself groaning internally at the smug look on his sister’s face. “Are you sure it’s not because you can’t swim?” Emma asked, stifling her giggles with a hand as the other children dissolved into laughter. Jack gave her a childish pout, reaching over to hit her lightly with his pink pool floatie.

“Yeah, yeah, alright, I’m seventeen and I don’t know how to swim,” Jack admitted begrudgingly, ignoring the giggles of the teenage girls in the seats next to him. “Are we ready?” Jack gave the group a hard stare and they returned it with great ferocity and excitement. They bounced on their toes and their eyes pleaded for Jack to let them go. Even Sophie, who didn’t know what was happening half the time, began to tug at Jack’s trunks. Jack’s lips curved into a smile and the children’s eyes widened.

“Okay, we can go,” Jack finally said. Cheers erupted from the kids as they leapt out of the shade, sandals flying off as they squeezed through the crevices between chairs and hopped over tables. Jack laughed until the twins almost managed to knock someone over.

“Hey, guys!” he called after him as he kicked off his sandals. “I told you to—” Jack’s heart almost stopped for second as his eyes caught young Sophie Bennett chasing after her brother enthusiastically, giggling as she squeezed through the crowd.

Sophie couldn’t swim and like hell if he was going to trust the children to make sure Sophie didn’t drown. Jack lifted his floatie over his head, muttering apologies as he was forced to run around the pool chairs to catch up with the kids. When he escaped the coolness of the umbrella shade, the extreme heat of the cement pricked at his feet. Jack jumped to the balls of his feet, hissing with every step as he ran awkwardly after the kids.

“Slow down!” Jack called after them, relief washing over him as the cool water of the wave pool lapped at his feet.

Jack’s relief was short lived, however, as he suddenly remembered that the floor of the wave pool was much smoother and slippery than the cement that lead to it. So Jack Overland, who was usually so nimble and graceful on his feet, felt those very same feet sliding out from under him and his body falling backwards. Time slowed down for that moment and Jack watched as the children stopped in their steps and turned. The noises of the crowd became dull and he heard his sister call out to him.

This was certainly not how he wanted this day to go, the back of his head getting closer and closer to the ground and his arms flailing. For a moment, Jack thought about how horrifying it would be when blood matted his white locks, ruining all the careful attention and time it had taken him to get it to this perfectly white shade. Definitely a bummer.

However, as Jack’s body cell closer to the ground, he felt a pair of thin, but firm, arms slide under him. His head fell against someone’s chest and a flash of auburn. Jack winced as his fall stopped and he looked up, blue eyes meeting a mesmerizing set of emerald greens that made Jack’s jaw fall open.  
Auburn locks feel around the face looking down at him, which was covered with a constellation of freckles and had the cutest round nose that Jack had ever seen on a person. Jacks eyes fell to a pair of thin lips, which parted to reveal a row of crooked teeth, and, at that moment, Jack decided that he had just discovered the most beautiful boy to ever exist.

A voice fell from the boy’s lips, a bit nasally and nerdy—absolutely fitting for the adorable face it belonged to. “Are you alright?” the boy asked him, his eyes wide and eyebrows knit together in concern.

Jack gulped and his vocal chords failed him. He parted his lips and his eyes searched the handsome young man’s face unsure of where to look. He finally settled on his eyes and found his voice once again.

“Well, I am now,” Jack replied, shooting his savior a bright smile.

The young man returned the smile and sighed in relief as he helped Jack back up to his feet. “That’s good then,” he said.

As Jack stood, finally having a view of something rather than that beautiful visage, his eyes fell to a white lifeguard tank top that was a bit too large for the lanky boy, and a set of red swim trunks at the boy’s waist that covered the top half of an impossibly bony pair of legs. At that moment, Jack wished silently that male lifeguards would wear Speedos on duty.

“Thanks, I, uh, I’m not normally this clumsy,” Jack said, scratching the back of his neck, watching as the children approached the pair cautiously and curiously out of the corner of his eye. Jack could feel his face heating up and wasn’t sure if that was an effect of the summer sun or if it was because he was talking to the cutest boy to exist. He internally thanked the cool water of the wave pool that crashed at their feet.

The handsome lifeguard chuckled, “I think running on the slippery floor could have had a part in that,” he pointed out with an amused smirk, jutting his thumb at a “no running” sign behind him.

Jack’s face flushed at his mistake and he shielded it with a laugh, reaching out to ruffle the hair of the child closest to him (which happened to be Jamie). “Yeah, sorry about that—just trying to look after the kids,” Jack explained, shooting them a quick look. “It won’t happen again—right, guys?”

The children nodded in unison, their response a mix of ‘yes’s, ‘maybe’s, and ‘don’t count on it's.

The lifeguard chuckled again, his cheeks dimpled in a way so adorable that Jack had not thought it possible—even for this guy.

As Jack stared, hypnotized by the impossibly cute lifeguard, he didn’t notice Emma approaching with the flowery, pink donut that must have flew out of Jack’s grasp he fell.

“Jack,” she began as she pushed Jamie out of the way and hopped up, fitting the inner tube around Jack’s head and blocking his view of the lifeguard with a blurry, transparent pink, “I found your floatie.”

Jack ears turned red and he felt total mortification wash over him as the children beside him tried (not very well) to stifle their giggling. Jack lifted the tube over his head with a forced smile. “What? No, this isn’t—“ he began, feeling even more embarrassed at the look of total amusement that the lifeguard gave him as the children began to dissolve into raucous laughter. Jack sighed reluctantly and smiled, bopping his sister over the head with the tube once again. “Thanks, Emma.”

The lifeguard’s lips curved into a smile that struck Jack’s heart like an arrow and his lips parted to say something when a girl’s loud voice broke the trance.

“Hey, Hiccup!” a lifeguard girl with blonde hair tied into a braid called from the end of the pool, holding a huge stack of inner tubes. “Stop flirting with the park goers and help me get these to the lazy river!”

A blush spread across the boy’s freckled cheeks and ran to his ears. He turned back to Jack, giving him an embarrassed and apologetic wince that Jack could only think of as _illegally_ cute. “I gotta go,” he said, turning to head towards his co-worker. “Try not to slip again!”

“I-I’ll try not to,” Jack stammered his voice barely audible as he stared after his cute lifeguard, who was now talking to the blonde lifeguard. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the two of them look back at Jack and he tore his eyes away, looking back down at the children, who all stared at him with wide and curious eyes.

Emma rocked back and forth on her feet, her eyes darting back and forth between the lifeguards and her brother, her hands held behind her back. “He was _cute_ ,” she said, a mischievous smile identical to her own brother’s spreading across her face.

“His name is _Hiccup,_ ” Jack said, half to them and half to himself in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. “How is that even possible?”

“Jack, do you _like_ him?” Pippa asked, nudging Cupcake with her elbow as they giggled into their hands.

Jack’s face heated up as the children began to nudge each other and break out laughing. “N-no,” Jack stammered unconvincingly.

“ _Jack and Hiccup sitting in a tree,”_ Claude and Caleb sang, linking their arms together as the other kids joined in. “ _K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_ ”

Panic flooded over Jack as he shushed the kids, getting down on his knees to clasp a hand over his sister’s mouth as she tried to continue the song. “Alright alright, that’s enough embarrassment for one day,” Jack said. “Who wants ice cream?”

For once in his years of babysitting, Jack was incredibly thankful that ten-year-olds had such a short attention span. The group cheered and ran off, splashing Jack as they darted for the food stands. “Hey!” Jack called after them. “What did I just—“

Jack felt a tug at his shorts and looked down to see Sophie next to him and her arms raised in a demand for him to carry her, and Emma still smiling at him. Jack heaved a sigh as he let Sophie wrap her arms around his neck. “Alright, you two, let’s go get ice cream,” he said, shifting to the balls of his feet to lift himself up when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see Emma still beaming at him, and he lifted an eyebrow.

“If it helps,” she began, rocking on her feet, “I think he likes you, too.”

She giggled at the blush that dusted over Jack’s face before skipping off to join the others, splashing her older brother with water as she went.

* * *

 

“ _Fifteen minutes_?” Jamie said, his eyes wide with shock as Jack handed him a napkin to wipe the ice cream off of his face. “We have to wait for fifteen _whole_ minutes?”

“Hey, I’m doing this for your own good,” Jack said as he sat back in the beach chair. “Let me tell you—swimming with a full stomach is not something you want to do.”

“How would you know?” Cupcake chimed in, eyeing his pool float with suspicion.

“Hey, swimming with a float is hard work, too, alright?” Jack objected. “You get cramps.”

“’Scuse me,” a voice from behind him muttered.

Jack looked behind him to see Hiccup trying to navigate between the lounge chairs. “Oh, sorry!” Jack apologized as he got up, setting the seat of his chair back to an upright position so the other boy could get through.

“Oh, by the way,” Hiccup said, bending over to pick up a towel that had been hanging off of Jack’s chair. “You dropped this.”

Jack gave Hiccup a smile as he took the towel back, trying to keep cool as their fingers brushed. “Thanks,” Jack said, wondering for a minute how appropriate it would be to ask a lifeguard for his number in front of the kids.

As Hiccup walked away, the children watched him, not very secretively, until he disappeared behind the food stand. They all turned back to Jack, their eyes narrowed.

“That’s the third time he’s come over here,” Claude finally pointed out after a rather lengthy silence.

"Really?" Jack said nonchalantly as he repositioned his chair so he could lie back again. "I hadn’t noticed." This was a complete lie, of course. Every time Hiccup came by their side of the beach chairs, Jack couldn’t help but stare at him, imagining himself walking over to the cute, freckled lifeguard and being witty and charming and coming out of the conversation with a new number in his phone. However, these scenarios stayed as they were—imaginary.

“He _likes_ you,” Emma insisted once again.

Jack covered up his face with his arm, blushing madly. “You’re _ten_ —I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation,” Jack said. “Don’t you guys have anything else to talk about?”

“Do you think he’d give us free ice cream if Jack talked to him?” Caleb asked, licking the popsicle residue off his fingers.

All the children looked up at Jack with hopeful, pleading eyes, ignoring his prior request. Jack peaked out from under his arm for a moment and felt total mortification at the prospect of his romantic life being influenced by a bunch of ten-year-olds whose only goal here was free ice cream.

Jack groaned and looked away again, not allowing the large and hopeful eyes of children trick him once again (the last time that happened involved snow and his Australian neighbor’s house and it was not pretty). “No,” he said firmly.

“But _Jack_ ,” Jamie whined. “That’s free ice cream!”

“Hey, we’re not here to eat ice cream all day,” Jack pointed out. “Do you guys really want to eat ice cream right now? You just had some.”

However, right before Jack could feel the relief of putting this entire conversation to rest, there was the sound of sliding and then a loud splat. Jack sat up, looking at the group to see Sophie holding her waffle cone, staring at a scoop of vanilla ice cream that had fallen ungracefully on the ground.  
Her lip quivered and the children stepped back from the little girl.

“Soph,” Jamie began cautiously as his sister’s eyes began to well up with tears. He looked at Jack with uncertainty. “Jack, I think Sophie—”

Before Jamie could warn his babysitter, the toddler broke out into a loud wail. The park goers around them winced and the children covered their ears. Jack hopped off of his feet and kneeled down, trying to shush the little girl frantically.

“Sophie, it’s okay—it’s just ice cream,” Jack said. However, she only cried even louder and the kids now looked at him incredulously as if he had said something totally blasphemous. “Hey, look, I can get you a new one, okay? Please don’t cry.”

Sophie’s tears slowed to a stop and she began to rub her eyes with balled up fists. Jack sighed in relief and lightly ruffled the little girl’s blonde hair. “Okay, I’ll go get you a new ice cream,” Jack said, standing up and stretching, his muscles a bit sluggish after sitting down for so long. “You guys stay here, alright?”

“So are you going to ask that lifeguard for free ice cream?” Pippa asked hopefully.

“No, I’m going to buy my ice cream like a normal human being,” Jack said, reaching over to pluck his wallet out of his bag, mourning how much lighter it had gotten since they had entered the park.

Jack sauntered over to the food stand, looking around and hoping chance would allow him to run into Hiccup again. As he approached the stand, the aroma of hot dogs and fries filled his nostrils, he found that his wish was granted when a head of auburn locks, now tied in a tiny ponytail, looked up from behind the counter.

Hiccup’s eyes widened a bit and he gave Jack a small, crooked smile. “Hey—Jack, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Jack said, feeling a smile rise to his lips at the notion that Hiccup had actually remembered his name at all. Hiccup, however, seemed to disagree, as the smile was wiped right off his face and he lowered his head, his cheeks tinged pink.

“I, uh, sorry,” Hiccup said, “that’s a little creepy, I know.”

“No, it’s cool,” Jack reassured Hiccup quickly. “You’re Hiccup, right?”

Hiccup blinked in surprise and his smile returned. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Woah, so is that really your name?” Jack asked, leaning against the countertop.

“Oh yeah,” Hiccup said with a theatrical sigh. “Let me tell you, it was just _so_ fun to grow up with.”

“I can imagine,” Jack chuckled. “If it makes you feel any better, one of the kids I babysit is actually named Cupcake.”

“’Cupcake,’ huh?” Hiccup repeated, taking a rag and wiping his side of the counter. “That makes ‘Hiccup’ seem like a walk in the park.” Hiccup’s head suddenly jerked up and his eyes widened a bit. “Oh,” he said suddenly, turning to Jack. “Did you want to order something?”

Jack blinked in confusion—he had forgotten that he had approached the stand for a reason  “Oh, uh, yeah,” Jack said, his face flushed. “One vanilla cone—one of the kids I was looking after dropped hers.”

“One vanilla, coming right up,” Hiccup said, turning away from Jack to prepare his order.

“I thought you were a lifeguard?” Jack said, resting his head on his hand, his elbow on the countertop.

 “Yeah, we’re short on staff today so I’m just running around where I’m needed,” Hiccup shrugged.

Silence fell between them again and Jack searched his mind desperately for something to say, hoping to speak to the adorable lifeguard again.

“So, are you just babysitting today?” Hiccup finally said, peaking behind his shoulder to look at Jack.

“Oh,” Jack said, looking over for a second at the beach chairs, still seeing the kids bouncing on the lounge chairs as they waited for him. “Yeah, my sister’s been begging me to take them here since summer started.”

“That’s really cool,” Hiccup said, shooting him a small smile that made Jack’s heart beat like a drum. “I don’t normally see older siblings looking after their siblings so diligently—or parents for that matter.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, normally parents just let their kids run all over the place and _we_ have to make sure they don’t get hurt,” Hiccup said with a shrug, reaching over to grab something from the counter. “It must be pretty difficult—how many kids are you babysitting?”

“Eight,” Jack answered with a sigh. “It isn’t too difficult, compared to what you do though—I mean you’re a lifeguard.”

Hiccup laughed. “It’s not that great, honestly.”

“Oh c’mon, Hic,” Jack said, his nervousness around the handsome lifeguard slipping away with each word they exchanged, “you probably save people from the perils of pools everyday—you know, like running and slipping and possibly dying,” Jack joked, “you’re basically a super hero.”

Hiccup scoffed, throwing Jack a look of amusement over his shoulder. “So what does that make you—a damsel in distress?”

“Of course,” Jack said, his smile wide. “Can’t you see me swooning over here?”

“I can’t promise to catch you if you faint,” Hiccup joked as he walked back over to the counter.

“A hard-to-get superhero, I see,” Jack cooed, putting his hand over his heart. “You really _are_ the thief of my own feeble, damsel heart.” Well, he wasn’t lying.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless, setting a tray of ice cream cones on the corner. “Here’s your order.”

Jack’s eyes fell to the counter and his eyes knit together in confusion at the sight of nine ice cream cones in cups in a cup holder. “Uh, Hic—sorry to break this to you, but I only ordered one,” Jack pointed out, looking back up at the lifeguard.

“I know,” Hiccup said, smiling a bit, his hand falling to the back of his neck and his eyes cast downward. “I, uh, thought you could use some more—it’s on the house.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Woah, Hiccup. Thanks, but I can’t possibly—“

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” he looked back up, his eyes meeting Jack’s. “My dad owns this place—he won’t mind.”

Jack’s throat ran dry, searching for something to say. Would it be appropriate to ask for a number? Or if he were free next Friday night?

Jack gulped instead and took the tray from him. “Thanks, dude,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”

“I-it’s no problem,” Hiccup stammered, casting his gaze shyly downward again.

“I’ll see you around, maybe,” Jack said, completely unwilling to end his conversation with Hiccup, who just waved at him as he left before turning to another approaching customer.

Jack walked back to the kids, who sat impatiently in the chairs, his eyes dreamy and his mind in a daze. Hiccup’s voice seemed to echo in his ears and his face was embedded in his mind. A stupid smile crawled onto Jack’s face as he sauntered to the chairs and the children stared at him in utter confusion.

Wow, was it just the summer sun or was it really hot?

Jack looked down at the children, who gave the ice cream an expectant look.

“So,” Jack began, “I got free ice cream.”

* * *

 

Jack was in a wonderful state of complete bliss right now.

Part of it was because he was floating along on his third round in the lazy river in his flowery pink pool float, the trees shading him from the harsh heat of the sun, and the sound of the people around him background noise as he closed his eyes and thought of the cute lifeguard with the impossible amount of freckles and a smile that sent Jack’s heart racing.

The lull of the lazy river sent Jack into a fantastic daydream about Hiccup. And, maybe it was the smell of chlorine and the fact that he was in a water park, but this specific daydream included Jack clinging to the edge of the pool and Hiccup standing at the edge, looking at Jack. Jack watched as imaginary Hiccup stretched his arms out and rolled his neck, before his fingers reached down to the hem of his top, rolling the fabric slowly upwards in a torturously slow motion. Jack began to wonder, when he saw the first sight of skin, if real Hiccup had just as many freckles covering his abdomen as imaginary Hiccup.

“ _Now!_ ”

Jack’s wonderful daydream came to a screeching halt as he felt the left side of his float lifting off the water. His eyes flew open just in time to see Jamie, Emma, and Caleb pushing his float up, letting him slide off and into the cold water. His eyes stung from the chlorine as he flailed his arms towards the glowing pink float above him. When the white-haired teen broke to the surface, clinging to the tube for dear life and gasping for air, he suddenly wished that he had bothered to learn to swim properly when he was younger.

His damp white bangs fell over his eyes, dripping down his face, before he slicked his hair back, still gasping as he looked around for the kids. The children were in a state of hilarity as they laughed loudly at their soaked caretaker, who sent them a harsh glare as he threw his arms over his tube. Jack opened his mouth to reprimand him when he heard a familiar voice calling above them.

“Hey, guys—try not to kill your babysitter!” Hiccup said from his lifeguard seat on the surface, giving them an amused look. He gave Jack a wave. “I don’t want to have to get a new shirt today.”

Oh, yeah—that’s why they’ve been in the lazy river for so long.

“What kind of lifeguard are you?” Jack called at him jokingly as they floated further away. However, Hiccup only laughed when the river turned a corner, causing Jack to lose his view of the other boy. Jack pouted into his pool float, wondering how easy it would be to learn to swim in the opposite direction just so he could talk to Hiccup again.

However, he deemed that this idea was basically impossible and instead turned to look at the kids. “That was evil,” Jack said, squinting at them.

“Yeah, but it was funny,” Emma said innocently. Jack glared at her—who taught her to be such a troublemaker? (It was probably him.)

“Jack, can we go to the water slide?” Jamie asked excitedly, pointing at the huge colorful tubes as they passed them.

Jack frowned at the slides over his pool float, wincing every time a scream echoed in the distance. “I don’t know,” Jack said hesitantly.

There was no way the kids were going to meet the height minimum—so Jack would have to go one time for each person who wanted to slide (which, judging by the pleading looks in their eyes, was everyone minus Sophie). Jack was a bit wary to leave the kids by themselves without him being at least close enough to come to the rescue if something went wrong, especially considering the fact that he would have to leave the children to watch Sophie for him. Not to mention the fact that Jack was far from a strong swimmer and he was a bit reluctant and a little too desperate to leave the company of the cute, freckled lifeguard.

Jack yelped in surprise when his float shook again—Emma had hopped up and clung to it, looking at him with large pleading eyes. “Oh, c’mon, Jack,” she said, tugging at his arm. “ _Please?_ ”

The other children took her example and hopped onto the float, the weight of seven ten-year-olds and one confused, but playful, toddler rocking it dangerously. Jack clung onto his precious pink donut for dear life, his eyes wide.

“Okay, alright,” he relented hastily, just before he could lose his grasp on the float. “We can go on the slides.”

The children hollered and cheered, swimming towards the closest exit and dragging Jack alongside them, running to line up by the slides.

Now, Jack was no boring adult—in fact, he had been told several times that he probably got along with the children he babysat so well because he had the mentality of a child. So, honestly, he did have fun the first three times he went on the slides with Emma, Pippa, and Monty (the process at which the order was decided was through a rather aggressive game of rock-paper-scissors). Jack shouted with glee as he rode the water slides, laughing and hooting at the twists and turns and making sure to be as loud and embarrassing as he could when he was sliding with Emma. However, by the time the fourth ride came around, Jack was completely soaked and underwhelmed, giving the blonde-braid lifeguard girl from before a shrug when she recognized his snow white hair lining up for the slide again.

So when Jack returned from his last slide ride with Jamie, a park-issued tube tucked under his arm and his damp hair falling into his eyes. He pushed the offending bangs over his head and wiped his eyes with his forearm. “Alright, so are we good?” Jack asked, the kids nodding as he looked down at his conveniently waterproof watch. It was now approaching the late afternoon and the heat of the sun was slowly being replaced by a cool summer breeze. Although Jack welcomed the cold, the children rubbed their arms, shivering as goosebumps popped up all over their skin.

“You guys ready to go back?” Jack asked, leaning against the tall tube, chuckling as the children opened their mouths to object, only to be silenced by a rather strong gust of wind. “Alright, guys stay still for a moment,” he said, raising his head a bit to count.

Emma, Monty, Claude, and Caleb stood directly in front of him, their teeth chattering and feet bouncing to keep warm—four.

Pippa and Cupcake sat a bit to the side, sharing two halves of Jack’s flowery, pink pool float, chatting excitedly to each other—that made six.

Jamie was standing next to him still reveling in his post-slide excitement—seven.

Jack looked around for a little girl with wild blonde hair, excited and bouncing on her feet as she waved her brightly-colored arm floats around. However, much to his utter panic, as his eyes scanned every inch of the area they occupied, Sophie was nowhere to be found.

“Guys,” Jack said, his voice almost inaudible as it caught in his throat. “Guys,” he repeated, louder, “where’s Sophie?”

The children’s heads swiveled back and forth, eyes searching before falling back on Jack in confusion. Pippa turned to Monty. “I thought you were watching her!” she accused.

“I wasn’t watching her—I went to the bathroom!” he objected. “I thought you guys were watching her!”

The children chattered amongst themselves frantically and Jamie gave Jack a look of pure panic that rivaled his own. Jack felt sick to his gut and his mind began to wander to the worst. However, this was not a time to flip out in front of the kids.

“Okay,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, don’t panic,” he said, mostly to himself. “You guys stay right here—don’t move,” Jack said firmly, giving them a glare. “Not even for the bathroom—I’m going to look for Sophie.” The children nodded. “If you see her, make sure you get her over here, alright?”

As soon as the children acknowledged his request, Jack ran off towards their beach chairs, searching frantically over the bags and towels, hoping the little girl had found her way back, to no avail. He ran throughout the park, calling for her, each moment striking fear into him. He ignored the confused stares of the crowds walking towards the park’s exit, shoving through the crowd for just a sight of bright neon arm floats.

When Jack reached the end of the crowd, he found himself running smack into a lifeguard. Specifically, an auburn-haired lifeguard with freckles like stars and eyes green as emeralds. Had things been different, Jack would have been in utter bliss to see Hiccup. However, now, he barely even noticed that he ran into him.

“Woah, Jack,” Hiccup said, his eyes wide as he caught the white-haired teens attention. “You alright?”

“No, actually,” Jack said frantically, peaking over Hiccup’s shoulder. ‘I lost a kid—she’s about this tall with moppy blonde hair and green eyes—she’s wearing a really bright swimsuit. Have you seen her?”

“Only with you,” Hiccup answered, his eyebrows knitting together in honest concern. “Oh man, I’ll keep an eye out and let everyone know—just keep looking.”

“Thanks,” Jack said, running past Hiccup and continuing his search.

He ran around the near empty park until his legs grew weary and his throat began to hurt from calling out for the little girl. When he stopped to take a breath, he had ended up next to the lazy river. His heart beat and his lungs begged for air, his eyes searching desperately for something resembling Sophie—something that would let him know that she was at least around.

Eventually, Jack did get his wish in the form of one brightly-colored, inflatable arm band floating along the lazy river.

And Jack, being the young and rash teenager that he was, and considering the fact that he was never really known for being clear headed nor did he ever think before he acted, jumped straight into the river, doggy paddling for his deer life as he followed the flow of the current after Sophie’s arm band. Had Jack taken a moment to pause, he would have heard people call out his name right before he was about to jump, but the boy instead found himself reaching out for a tiny arm float that could neither support his weight nor his tired legs.

“Sophie!” he called out, struggling to keep his head above the surface. It should be illegal how deep they made these things—or how they name them. The river current was actually strong enough to push Jack over as he splashed desperately. However, his muscles ached and his breath ran out. Jack found himself suddenly found himself underwater, the chlorine stinging his eyes and his flailing weak.

It was funny, Jack thought as he closed his eyes. He certainly hadn’t planned the day to go like this—sort of like how he didn’t exactly plan to lose a toddler in a water park or how he didn’t plan on meeting that cute lifeguard. Jack felt a slight pang of regret that he hadn’t asked for Hiccup’s number or for a date—a sort of a silly thought to be having when he was supposedly dying, sure, but hey—he was drowning so why not?

Jack’s body felt weak and time began to slow down. His ears and nostrils filled with water as a sudden splash beside him when his mind fell into a blank lull.

* * *

 

Jack had awoken when his body suddenly lurched upward and water poured out of his mouth and streamed through his nostrils. His blue eyes stung and teared as he blinked them open wearily. His body and skin ached at its contact with the ground. The muffled sounds around him became voices and sighs of relief.

“Is he alright?”

“Jack!”

“See? I told you he’d wake up!”

His vision had been blurred and colors swirled together, but now things began to make sense. Images formed and the light of the late afternoon sun washed over him. Jack blinked, making out a head, thick auburn hair, emerald green eyes, and a plethora of freckles dusted across cheeks. Jack’s eyes widened for a minute as his eyes darted from the face that was just a few inches above his own to the bare upper body of a lanky, but definite, lifeguard.

“Woah,” he breathed. “Is this heaven? Am I dead?”

A smile curved on Hiccup’s pale, thin lips as he laughed. “Fortunately not,” he mused as he helped Jack sit up straight. A towel was draped around his shoulders by the blonde girl from before and Jack felt instant relief from the soft fabric. This state of peace, however, was short lived as he was suddenly hit by a sudden weight and long brown hair flew into his face.

“Jack!” Emma looked up at him, clutching him as if he’d leave if she let go, her eyes filled with tears and goosebumps still dotting her skin. “I-I thought—“

Jack shushed her gently, wrapping his towel around her shoulders. “It’s alright, Emma—I’m okay, see?” Jack looked at the children. “Where’s Sophie.”

“Over here!” Jamie said, waving his sister’s hands together.

The blonde lifeguard girl sent Jack a smirk. “I found her by the food cart trying to get some ice cream,” she explained, ruffling the toddler’s hair playfully. “Sorry for ratting you out, kid.”

Jack sighed in relief, glad to see that everyone was well and accounted for. He pat Emma’s head and heaved her into his arms as she began to hiccup. “C’mon kiddo, we’ve had a long day,” Jack said. “You guys ready to go?”

The children nodded, some drowsily, and some still shivering.

Jack turned to Hiccup who gave him a warm smile, almost in admiration. “Thanks for saving me—again,” Jack said. “You really are a superhero.”

Hiccup gave him a crooked smile. “Well, hey, someone’s gotta save the damsel in distress,” he joked.

“Okay, but, uh—question,” Jack began a bit hesitantly, his mind wandering to that moment when Hiccup’s face hovered over his, dangerously close. “If, let’s just say, the situation required it,” Jack began. “Were you gonna give me CPR?”

Hiccup’s face immediately flushed red and he ran hand through his wet hair and rubbed at his neck. Hiccup looked to the side and a small, nervous smile crossed his lips. “I mean, hypothetically—if I had to, yeah,” he said. “It’s my job and all, y’know.”

For a moment, Jack felt the horrible urge to lie right back down and fake passing out once again, regretting that he didn’t wake up just as Hiccup’s lips were pressed near his in some sort of romantic comedy scene. He cursed his luck internally and a bit ungratefully, considering the fact that he was still alive, but laughed nonetheless.

“Wow, I was wrong—you’re not a superhero,” Jack teased. “You’re basically a movie prince!”

“So, what, you’re going from a damsel in distress to a princess?” Hiccup said. “You’re basically a personification of bad tropes, Jack.”

“That’s ‘your highness’ to you,” Jack joked.

“Oh, of course,” Hiccup said, rolling his eyes with a laugh. “How could I possibly address you as otherwise?”

“Jack,” one of the children spoke up. “I’m cold.”

For that moment Jack couldn’t believe he had forgotten that the children were even there—he also couldn’t believe that he openly flirted in front of them. Sure, it seemed like Astrid was entertaining them a bit, but his cheeks still tinged pink and he tore himself away from Hiccup’s gaze. “Oh, uh, right,” Jack said hastily. “I guess I better go.”

“Oh, yeah sure,” Hiccup said, suddenly looking flustered. Jack’s mind searched for something to say—to ask. It was now or never, Jack.

However, instead, he found himself being tugged along by Sophie once again, waving with his free hand at Hiccup as the children lead him away.

“Oh, thanks, by the way,” Jack said to the blonde girl as he passed her. “I really appreciate you finding Sophie—I don’t know what would happen if I couldn’t—“

“Don’t worry about it,” the girl said, giving him a smile. She gave him a hard slap on the back that was oddly powerful for someone so small. “It’s my job,” she said, her eyes glinting with something Jack just could not place.

By the time he and the children had found their way back to their chairs, the number of park goers had dwindled down to small numbers. Most of the children from the morning and early noon had gone home with their parents and the chairs were empty. The children wrapped themselves in their towels and Jack heaved his and Emma’s bags over his free shoulder, as Emma herself was still in his arms.

She gave him a curious look. “Jack,” she said, shifting her position so that he could peek over his back and then back at him. “I think Astrid put something on your back.”

“Who’s Astrid?” Jack asked, an eyebrow quirked in confusion as he groped for whatever was on his back helplessly.

“She’s the girl who found Sophie,” Jamie answered, his hand still firmly grasping Sophie’s.

“I got it,’ Emma said, climbing slightly over her brother’s shoulder to peel a sticky note off his back.

Jack took the note from his sister, his eyes running across it briefly. Suddenly, his cheeks flushed and a huge smile crawled into his lip. Angels sang in his head and, despite the summer breeze growing colder by the second, he felt so warm at this moment. For what he had found on the note, which looked like it had been crumpled up earlier before, was a phone number in a messy, pointed scrawl. Underneath that, in neater handwriting was a note:

_Hiccup said he’s free on Friday nights. Please call him so I don’t have to hear him whine about missing his chance with “that cute white-haired guy.” --Astrid_

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this bc I was feeling really gross over the weekend so tumblr user gayfeelsdump told me to write a waterpark au and as you guys can probably figure out this turned into a really long and drawn out lifeguard au??? But hey  
> Also, just for future reference, ive seen a lot of "lazy rivers" in my childhood, and some of them are not lazy at all they're all lies.  
> UH either way thanks for reading!!!


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